More Rockets draft rumblings, and another snippet from Yao Ming

In the span of an hour, I heard the Rockets are zeroing in on everyone from Paul George to Hassan Whiteside, with mentions of Cole Aldrich, Gordon Hayward and Patrick Patterson.

It was an interesting hour. And everyone sounded sure. They cannot be. If the Rockets brass were that far along, they might get out of that Toyota Center conference room. So far, no puffs of smoke.

We also heard today, via a Draft Express tweet, that the Rockets are working hard to get Minnesota’s fourth pick to draft DeMarcus Cousins. Draft Express is usually reliable, and as I mentioned in a blog entry last Monday, the Rockets were working the phones hard to move up, likely for Cousins.

There does not seem much confidence that they will get that done, a lot less than last season when they also wanted to move up.

They are not, however, only talking to the Timberwolves. There have been talks with the Warriors, Clippers and Pacers, and probably the Kings. Not long after the lottery, there were talks with the Sixers, though that did not go anywhere.

This might be no more than due diligence. But after the top seven picks, the draft order can turn in a variety of ways, especially if the Clippers choose a wing, as now seems to be their intention if they don’t make a deal.

If that happens, teams might lose the chance at players they are targeting. The Rockets have often tried to move up just a few spots (without success) to get the guys they wanted. Even starting at a much better spot, No. 14, they definitely could try again.

Still, if they remain at 14 or not, look for upside, even if it comes with risk. They’ll take a chance if it means a chance at hitting it big.

  

We’ve done this before, but it bears repeating.

Forget need. Ignore the roster.

Every team says the player they choose was the best one on the board. Some mean it.

The Rockets absolutely will ignore the perceive needs to choose the guy that comes out in front of their evaluations. Daryl Morey strongly believes that teams should, with few exceptions, evaluate the player without regard to how he will fit the roster at the time.

They are overloaded with wings and lack big men. And if they like a wing even slightly more than the big men remaining, they will choose the wing.

Gersson Rosas was pretty clear about this and why.

“I think you feel the pain of need through this process, but you don’t want to ever make the decision based on need. As we look back at the draft, the mistakes that have been made in this league, are made primarily because we let the pain of need supersede the talent that might be available.

“We know the roster changes very quickly. Wings might be a position of strength right now. With a busy off-season ahead, we might make moves and the depth at that position might be gone. We try not to let our roster affect it at all.”

The Rockets often point to Morey’s first pick as GM, Aaron Brooks, as proof. They had four point guards – Rafer Alston, Mike James, Steve Francis and John Lucas – lined up for the next season when they added another one. They needed a power forward and several were available, including the one they would take with the first pick of the second round, Carl Landry. But they insisted on evaluating players without regard to their roster and took another point guard with their pick.

Even last season, after grabbing Jermaine Taylor, they bought another pick to pick up another player at the same already crowded position, drafting Chase Budinger.

Still, you will hear about the Rockets needs.

From Bleacher Report: “The Rockets could stand to add some size.”

Fanhouse: “Houston … could use another forward more inclined to score than Chuck Hayes.”

Fox Sports: “The Rockets need another big man down low who can help spell Yao Ming when he returns.”

Those comments, and the many to come, might not be about forecasting who the Rockets will take as much as how well the player they can get will fit. But for those that want to predict the Rockets choice, consider the player that fits their tastes best, not who fits their roster.

  

Still nothing official from Yao Ming’s camp about his plans with the contract and whether he might opt out.

He has consistently indicated that he has no intention of going anywhere, and offered another in a tweet on Thursday after former teammate Ron Artest and the Lakers won the championship.

“I watched Game 7 last night. Unbelievable series. I am happy for Ron having a great year. Hopefully next year it will be us in Houston.”